Glossary · Automation

Database Webhook

A database webhook is an HTTP callback triggered by a database condition–such as a new row, a changed value, or a threshold crossing–that pushes the event to an external system in real time.

Webhooks are how database events escape the database. When the watched condition occurs–a new signup, an order over $10,000, inventory hitting zero–an HTTP POST fires to a URL you choose, carrying the event data to Slack, an internal service, or an automation platform like Zapier. This turns the database from something you query into something that notifies you. Traditionally this required writing database triggers and maintaining stored procedures with DBA access; modern tools watch the database externally and fire webhooks without touching its internals, which is both safer and far easier to change.

Fig — every answer ships with the tables, rows and SQL behind it.